Method of singeing



June 14, 1932. W, w, KEMP METHOD oF SINGEING Filed May 1o, 195o PatentedJune 14, 1932 UNITED s'irA'rEs,

PATENT OFFICE I WILLIAM WALLACE KEMP, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNORT0 THE C. M. KEMP MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ACORPORATION 0F MARYLAND METHOD OF SINGEING Application led May 10,

The present invent-ion relates to a new and improved method of smgeing,and more particularly to the smgemg of textile materials,

for which it is particularly designed, al-v though the method may beadapted to singeing or treatment of other materials than thatspecifically vshown and described.

Inorder that the method may be clear, I have shown in the acco-mpanyingdrawing apparatus by which the method may be practiced, but it is to beunderstood that this is illustrative and in no sense restrictive, asapparatus other than that here illustrated may be used for prat ticingthe invention.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a portion of a.singeing apparatus sufficient to illustrate my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the top of a burner showing a differentmethod of utilizing the singeing flame from that shown in Figure 2.

It has been customary in the singeing art to pass the material, usuallya textile fabric, through a flame, the speed of the fabric and thecontact or proximity of flame being so regulated as to effect thedesired singeing ,without injuring the fabric. Heretofore, as

the art is now known to me, it has been customary to generate a flamefrom any suitable fuel delivered from suitable fuel nozzles and thenpass the fabric or'other material under treatment through the flame orin singeing proximity thereto, so that the singeing action takes placeon the surface of the cloth against which the flame impinges.

In accordance with my invention and the .method herein disclosed, theburning of the fuel and the singeing operation takes place in a confinedspace or combustion chamber, which combustion chamber is closed and theflame confined by the material to be singed passing across or over themouth of the combustion chamber in such relation thereto as tosubstantially confine the flame within the chamber.

Apparatus for practicing the method and 1930. seriai No. 451,375.

the steps of the method will be clear by reference to the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, in which like numbers indicate like parts inthe related views, 10 indicates any suitable burner made up of units forconvenience in assembling an installation, which burner 10 vis connectedwith a fuel supply pipe 11 by means of branch pipes having controlvalves 12, whereby the fuel coming from the supply pipe 11 may belregulated for the units of the burner, 10 as tended area of flame overwhich the 'material to be-singed passes.

` In accordance with my method, the material to be singed,conventionally shown at 16, will be drawn across the burner substantially in contactv therewith so as to confine the products of combustionsubstantially in the combustion chamber 15, the speed of the material 16and the pressure of the fuel from which the flame is generated being soregulated as to effect singeing without burning the material. It will beunderstood that the fuel will be supplied under pressure, so that therewill be an effective blast of such intensity as is necessary against thesurface of the material which is being singed. Obviously, since the fuelis supplied to the combustion chamber 1,5 under pressure, and as thematerial to be singed is drawn across the top of such chambersubstantially in contact with the burner, the flame will be confined andcompresscdin thecombustion chamber 15. The fuel will be, preferably, aself-sustaining fuel, that is, one which will burn in a confined space,one form of selfsustaining fuel being gas and air mixed in suchproportions that there will be suflicient oxygen to support combustionof the fuel in ool a confined space, such as the combustion chamber 15.

In another application of my method, I have found that by increasing thepressure, the flame can be maintained both in the combustion chamber onone side of the material 16 being under treatment, and also forcedthrough the material and maintained upon vthe opposite side, asconventionally shown in Figure 8, so that both sides of the material canbe singed at the same time. This variation in the method can beaccomplished by varying the pressure of the fuel coming through theperforations, 14, so that either the flame can be maintained, as shownin Figure 2, wholly within the combustion chamber 15, or, as shown inFigure 3, by properly increasing the pressure, it can be maintained bothin the combustion chamber 15 and on the other side of the material.

In order that the burner 10, with which the material under treatment isin contact, will not become overheated and cause contact burning of thematerial, the burners will preferably be provided with any suitablecooling arrangement, as, for example, cooling chamber 17, which may befed with a suitable refrigerant in any desired Way, as, for example,through the port 18, here shown in the bottoni of the burner and leadingto the cooling chamber.

It has been found that following this method, materials, such asfabrics, may be uniformly and rapidly singed, either on one side or bothsides, dependent upon the manner in which the method is practiced, andthe singeing flame maintained in better relation to the materialsubjected to it than where the material is simply passed through theflame at a point removed from the burner. Under the old method there isalways a tendency of the flame to drag, because of the following airfilm contiguous to the travelling fabric or material under treatment,and imperfect singeing some times results. Following the methoddisclosed, and particularly in connection with the method of Figure 3,sufficient pressure, when desired, can be developed in the combustionchamber 15 to force the flame through the fabric, so as to not onlysinge on both sides of the material asheretofore pointed out, but alsoeffect a thorough singeing between threads of the fabric.

I claim 1. The new and improved method of singeing, which consists inpassing the material to be singed in such proximity to a fuel burnerhaving a combustion chamber as to bring the material and fuel burnerflame into direct and intimate contact over an appreciable ing, whichconsists in passing the material to be singed over a fuel burner havinga combustion chamber therein with the material in contact with theburner so as to bring the material and fuel burner flame into direct andintimate contact and confine and compress the fuel burner flame in thecombustion chamb'er.

3. The new and improved method of singeing, which consists in passingthe material to be singed in such proximity to a fuel burner having anopen combustion chamber therein so as to bring the material and fuelburner flame into direct and intimate contact and substantially closethe combustion chamber and compress the fuel burner flame therein andsinge one side of the material, and causing the fuel burner flame to bepassed through the material to be singed to effect singeing of the otherside of the material.

4. The new and improved method of singeing which consists in confiningand compres"- ing the fuel burner flame of a self-sustaining fuel in acombustion chamber by passing the material to be singed across the openend of the combustion chamber in such relation thereto as to bring thematerial and fuel burner flame into direct and intimate contact andsubstantially close the chamber.

5. The new and improved method of singeing, which consists in confiningand compressing the fuel burner flame of a self-sustaining fuel in acombustion chamber by passing the material to be singed across the openend of the chamber in such relation thereto as to bring the material andfuel burner flame into direct and intimate contact and substantiallyclose the chamber to confine and compress the fuel burner flame therein,and forcing a portion of the ignited fuel through the material to effectsingeing of the material on both sides.

6. The new and improved method of singeing which consists in passing thematerial to be singed across a fuel burner having an open combustionchamber therein with the material in contact with the burner so as tobring the material and fuel burner flame into direct andintimate contactand enclose and compress the fuel burner flame in the combustionchamber, and passing a portion of the flame through the cloth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM WALLACE KEMP.

area and substantially close the chamber to confineV and compress thefuel burner flame therein.

2. The new and improved method of singe-

